By Emily Mlynarek ’14| Features Editor

A play within a play, and a murderer among the cast and crew. The Pointe Players’ held auditions on Wednesday, September 11 for their first production of a murder-mystery play, “Rehearsal for Murder,” English and drama teacher Meaghan Dunham said.

“I passed out the scripts ahead of time,” said Dunham. “So I was really hoping they (students) would read them and come in with, maybe even not a specific role in mind, but with a knowledge of the play, so that if I had them read a role, they would have a sense of what they were auditioning for.”

Roles for “Rehearsal for Murder” ranged from actors to law enforcement and characters in their young twenties to middle ages. Of the 40 students who auditioned, a total of 15 were cast, Dunham said.

“I tried to cast juniors and seniors, students who are on their way out, students who have worked hard to earn a role in a show,” said Dunham. “But, there are amazing freshmen and sophomores as well that I am hoping will audition next year.”

Along with casting roles students have been assigned to crew roles, such as assistant director, stage manager, assistant stage manager and props mistress, Dunham said.

“I am excited for opening night, because I’ve always been behind the scenes as crew, and I’m so grateful to have this part this year,” Shannon Novak ’14, who plays the head law enforcement officer said.

When choosing “Rehearsal for Murder,” Dunham says she wanted to do something very different from last year’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and something that had never been done before at South.

“I’ve always loved this play, I read it in high school,” Dunham said. “I thought it was within their (the cast’s) capability, and its very entertaining for an audience.”

Christina Koehler ’14, who plays Monica, the lead female role, says that the reason “Rehearsal for Murder” is so captivating is because it includes frequent flashbacks and keeps the audience on their toes.

“As an audience member, you’re going to be like ‘Oh so it’s totally him, wait what no? What?’,” said Koehler. “It’s awesome.”

“Rehearsal for Murder” is based on a Broadway theater troupe, as they reunite a year after their show debuts in order to create a second play, Koehler said. However, this play has a twist: It is simply a ruse to reveal who murdered the director, Alex’s (Frankie Thams ’15) fiance Monica.

So far, the cast rehearses three times a week for the show, which debuts Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.. Rehearsals have included blocking (creating on-stage movements) the entire play rehearsing lines and movements. However, with just the backbone of the play complete, Dunham said it is coming along well and that the actors are fitting into their roles perfectly.

“Their instincts are sharp, their commitment is sound, and already there is some nuance and to have any kind of nuance while you’re only blocking scenes is really rare,” Dunham said. “So I am very excited.”

Additionally, Dunham says she is fitting back into her role as director with little difficulty after a ten year break from the Pointe Players theater program.

“Mrs. Dunham really has an eve for direction and is always very enthusiastic,” Novak said. “She wants us to succeed and keeps us excited and on our toes to make our characters have depth.”

However, putting together such a complex play does have some challenges, such as getting everything ready on time and teaching the actors to understand and accurately portray the differences in present day and flashbacks, Dunham said.

“For Frankie, he is basically a whole different person in the flashbacks and the present, so he is really playing two different characters,” Koehler said. “But after awhile, you get used to it and so will the audience with the help of lights and narration.”

Koehler says that the twisted plot line in conjunction with the elements of mystery, are what make “Rehearsal for Murder” so much more compelling to the audience than any other performances.

“This is like a full hearted Sherlock Holmes or a Nancy Drew,” Koehler said.“Its awesome, because its different, its not a musical, it’s not fluffy, its actually kind of heavy at some points.”

What will captivate the audience the most is the surprise provided with the reveal of the murderer, Novak said.

“You’re never going to guess who did it,” Dunham said. “It’s one of those plays that really keeps you guessing until the very end. There are so many twists. It’s really engaging and it’s a lot of fun.”